Ricotta Dumplings with Best Ever Mushroom Sauce

My special friend Fenris was hankering for dumplings as they reminded him of his childhood, so I invited him over for an afternoon of cooking. Though my dumplings were not as traditional as the ones his mom used to make, these are very filling and just plain comfort food. I served them up with my best ever mushroom sauce, which is always better than I remember. Seriously, I could just eat this sauce all on its own. Mushroom fiends like myself must try this. Easy, and oh so tempting. I have served this sauce with plenty of foods, including Scalloped Potatoes, Black-Eyed Pea and Quinoa Croquettes and fresh pasta. It is one of my favorite staple sauces and a big hit with everyone who has tried it.

Ricotta Dumplings with Best Ever Mushroom Sauce

To make Best-Ever Mushroom Sauce:

4 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 1b. white mushrooms,
a cup or so of creminis, sliced
1 cup yogurt
juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
a dash of paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour (optional)
fresh ground black pepper
a few teaspoons of fresh chives, or a tablespoon of dried chives
a few more tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan for garnish

For the dumplings:

1 cup of ricotta cheese
2 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
1/3 cup of unbleached white flour
2/3 cup of bread crumbs
1/3 + 2 tablespoons of cornmeal

Begin by making the sauce.

Melt butter in a large saucepan or wok over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 8 minutes or until they are soft and translucent. Stir in the mushrooms, cover with a tight fitting lid, and cook for 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are reduced but still slightly plump.

Remove the lid and stir in the yogurt, lemon juice, parsley, mustard, paprika and salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce without boiling, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes — or longer if you want a thicker sauce. If you want to speed up the process, stir in a tablespoon of unbleached all-purpose flour a few minutes after adding the yogurt and other ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

To make the dumplings, beat together the ricotta, egg yolks and Parmesan in a medium-large bowl. Add the flour and beat until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture in two additions. Next fold in the breadcrumbs and cornmeal.

Fill a heavy skillet or large wok with enough water to reach a depth of two inches. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Drop the shaped batter by rounded tablespoons into the water. Cover and cook for 4 minutes. Turn the dumplings, cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

To complete the dish, place the dumplings on a platter or in a large serving bowl, and spoon the mushroom sauce over the dumplings. Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper, more freshly grated Parmesan and chives.

Serves 4 - 6.

More mushroom dishes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Cheddar and Mushroom Shirred Eggs
Stuffed Mushrooms with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Olives
Scalloped Potatoes with Mushrooms and Coconut Milk
Wild Rice and Portobello Mushroom Soup
Hungarian Mushroom Soup

On the top of the reading stack: The National Post

Audio accompaniment: Entain by Vladislav Delay

Lemon glazed madeleines

My favorite director has been making good money at the box office with his new movie: the trailer made me insanely curious, the plot seems really interesting and the cast is full of good actors – if I were an actress I’d work for Scorsese for free. :)From one favorite to three more: madeleines, lemons and Pea’s blog. Lemon glazed madeleines3 large eggs, at room temperature2/3 cup (133g)

Chickpeas and Paneer in a Spicy Creamy Gravy

I was browsing through starred items in my google reader the other day and came across this mouthwatering creamy chickpea and paneer dish from Sunita's Kitchen that I have been meaning to make for a while now. I usually visit my friend Basil on Saturday night and as he loves paneer as much as I do, I decided it was time to make this delicious dish. As usual, I have modified the original recipe somewhat to suit my own preferences. Thanks for the idea Sunita!

If the winter blues are getting you down, this dish is certain to cheer you up. The only positive thing I can say about the snow is that it gives me a chance to get some exercise with all of the shoveling that needs to be done lately. I am especially eager for spring this year. Let the global warming begin!

This is my entry to My Legume Love Affair, a popular monthly event started by Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook and hosted this month by Mirch Masala.

Chickpeas and Paneer in a Spicy Creamy Cashew Gravy

1 1/2 cups of dried chickpeas
400 grams of paneer, cut into cubes and fried in oil and evenly browned
1 cup of cashews
2/3 cup of cream or milk
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon of saffron
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
3 - 4 green chilies, chopped
2 tablespoons of ghee, or a mixture of butter and oil
1 teaspoon of sugar
a small handful of dried curry leaves or a bay leaf
2 - 3 whole red dried chilies
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
3 black cardamon pods, split in the middle
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of garam masala
1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
1 2/3 - 2 cups of water
1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt

Soak the chickpeas overnight in enough water to cover. Drain, transfer to a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and then cover and simmer until the chickpeas are buttery soft - roughly 1 hour. Drain and set aside.

Using a blender or a large mortar and pestle, make a paste of the onions, garlic, ginger and hot chilies. Add a bit of water if necessary to blend.

Soak the cashews in the cream with the saffron for 30 minutes or so. Transfer to a blender or mortar and pestle, along with the tomato and process until the mixture is turned into a paste.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, curry leaves, sugar, whole red chilies and cardamon pods. Stir and fry until the mustard seeds turn grey and begin to pop. Add the ground cumin, cayenne, crushed red chilies and turmeric to the pan, stir and then add the onion / garlic paste. Stir and fry until most of the liquid is evaporated.

Add the chickpeas to the pan and stir and fry for another 5 minutes or so. Now add the cashew / tomato paste, fried paneer, along with the water, parsley, garam masala and salt, and simmer until the gravy is thickened. You may need to adjust the amount of water to achieve your desired consistency.

Serve with rice or an Indian flatbread such as roti or naan.

Serves roughly 6.

More paneer recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Paneer Mushroom Masala
Macaroni and Paneer Cheese
Kidney Beans in a Slowly Simmered Tomato Sauce
Shredded Paneer with Tomatoes, Chilies, Mushrooms and Chickpeas

On the top of the reading stack: Tales of Love & Loss by Knut Hamsun

Audio accompaniment: Drawing Of Sound by Windy and Carl

Apple and cinnamon mini pies

Thank you all for your votes and lovely comments – you guys are the best!

The award nomination may have been a huge surprise to me, but your reaction to it was not – you’ve supported me right from the start and have become a very important part of this blog. It is wonderful to share my kitchen experiments and love for food with you – it really makes my days a whole lot better. :)

Speaking of

Massaman Curry with Paneer Cheese

I was inspired to cook this curry for the January edition of No Croutons Required. The theme was Thai soups and salads, and I contributed a hot and sour mushroom soup. To go along with the meal, I also prepared this massaman curry with golden brown fried paneer cheese and using a fresh homemade massaman curry paste. I spent many hours in the kitchen that day, as I also made my own nam prik pow sauce to go into the mushroom soup. It was certainly worth the effort and the meal was enjoyed with friends.


I adapted the dish from Thai Vegetarian Cooking by Vatcharin Bhumichitr. According to the introduction that precedes the recipe, massaman curries are influenced by the flavors of Islamic cuisine and very closely related to many popular Indian curries. Notably, CNN recently selected massaman curries as the world's most delicious food! Usually cooked with beef or chicken, this is of course a vegetarian version, but I didn't care for the tofu that the author suggested — instead, the fried paneer cheese simmered in this wonderful creamy, spicy and highly aromatic coconut gravy turned out to be absolutely delicious, and was the highlight of my amazing Thai dinner.

Massaman Curry with Paneer Cheese

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Thai Vegetarian Cooking Cuisine: Thai Published on March 3, 2010 A vegetarian version of the famous southern Thai curry usually cooked with beef or chicken, this massaman curry has golden-brown fried pieces of paneer cheese simmered in a creamy, spicy, "coconutty" and wonderfully fragrant sauce Print this recipe Ingredients: 6 tablespoons sesame oil 8 - 12 oz (200 - 300 grams) paneer cheese, cubed 2/3 cup raw cashews, halved 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tablespoons massaman curry paste (recipe below) 14 oz (400 ml) can coconut milk 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 large shallots, chopped juice from 1 small lemon 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 teaspoons of sugar Instructions: Heat 4 tablespoons of the sesame oil in a large saucepan or wok over medium heat. When hot, add the cheese cubes and stir-fry for about 5 to 10 minutes, constantly turning the cubes to brown them evenly on all sides. As they turn crisp and golden, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Meanwhile, toast the cashews in a small saucepan or frying pan over medium-low heat, stirring or tossing frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside. Heat the remaining oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. When hot, add the garlic and stir and fry for a few minutes. Add the curry paste, stir, and then add the coconut milk and stir well to combine. Add the potatoes, shallots, lemon juice, paneer cheese and cashews, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are just cooked and the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and sugar. Makes 4 servings

Homemade Massaman Paste

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Thai Vegetarian Cooking Cuisine: Thai Published on March 3, 2010 A southern Thai specialty, massaman paste is a rich, aromatic and extraordinarily distinctive curry paste redolent especially of cardamom and cumin, and forms the base of highly prized massaman curries Print this recipe Ingredients: 10 - 12 dried whole red chilies, crushed 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cloves 2 whole star anise 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 teaspoon black or white peppercorns 4 medium shallots, roughly chopped 2-inch piece lemon grass, chopped 1/2-inch piece fresh galangal or ginger, chopped 3 - 4 fresh or dried kaffir lime leaves, chopped (or 2 teaspoons of lemon zest) 1 teaspoon sea salt Instructions: In a large mortar and pestle or in a food processor, blend the ingredients together until a soft paste is formed. Refrigerate in a jar with a tight-fitting lid for up to 1 month. Makes about 1 cup

On the top of the reading stack: The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters by B.R. Myers

Audio accompaniment: Give Them The Rights by The Congos

Pineapple mint sorbet and Saveur’s Best Food Blog Awards

I had a wonderful surprise yesterday: Technicolor Kitchen has been nominated for best baking and dessert blog on Saveur’s Best Food Blog Awards!! How amazing is that? I can hardly believe it. Please, vote for me! :)

Can you imagine how much I talked about last night? My poor husband. :)
I had to have a scoop of this sorbet to chill out – I adapted the amount of ingredients from a DH pineapple

No Croutons Required - The Winner for February and the Theme for March

The theme for February was to recreate a soup or salad from a restaurant that made a lasting impression. The winner of the copycat round is Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe with this lovely and filling Parsnip Soup with Walnut Ravioli and Carrot Cream. Johanna based her soup on a dish served at David Bann's located in Edinburgh. Congratulations Johanna!

I will be hosting the March edition of No Croutons Required. The theme for this month is chickpeas because chickpeas are probably my favorite legume and I can never get enough recipes ideas for the treasured garbanzo bean. Create a vegetarian soup or salad featuring chickpeas and send me your entry by the 20th of March.