Cookbook #3: Cook’s Encyclopedia of Vegetarian Cooking

I picked up some parsnips at the farmer’s market, as I’ve been making more of an effort to cook with in-season root vegetables this winter. I went through two of my veggie-focused cookbooks before I found a good looking recipe that incorporated them.

This cookbook has been on my shelves for awhile. I think I got it not long after moving to DC, possibly off the Barnes & Noble sales rack? I’ve made a couple recipes from it before, including a couple risottos.

I decided to make parsnip, eggplant and cashew biryani (though the fried root veggie chips were a tempting alternative).

Adaptations: I trimmed down the calories on this recipe by cutting down the butter, oil and cashews, and by using brown rice instead of white. The brown rice meant for a significantly longer cooking time, but it ultimately worked well.

What I learned: This recipe used the classic technique for cooking biryani, and I think I’d be much more inclined to make a traditional Indian version now. The parsnips were a nice touch – sweet and substantial.

Recipe results: This is a doozy of a recipe, with tons of steps. It probably took me a good three hours to pull off, so this is not a weeknight meal. But it’s a tasty vegetarian meal that looks pretty impressive when you pull it off.

Cookbook verdict: I already knew this was a reliable cookbook for vegetarian meals, though the recipes are often very time consuming.

Recipe: See beyond the jump.

1 small eggplant, sliced

10 oz brown jasmine rice, or basmati rice

2 parsnips, peeled and cored

3 onions

2 garlic cloves

1 inch piece ginger, grated

2-2.5 tbsp vegetable oil

4 oz cashews

1/4 cup golden raisins

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1.5 cups veggie stock

2 tbsp butter

2 hard boiled eggs, quartered

handful cilantro, chopped

Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Cut into bite sized pieces after drying.

Soak rice in cold water for 40 minutes. Process 1 onion, garlic and ginger in food processor with a couple tbsp water to make a paste.

Slice 2 onions thin. Heat 1.5 tbsp oil in dutch oven and sautee for 15 minutes. Set aside.

Add cashews to Dutch oven and cook for two minutes. Add raisins and let them swell up. Set aside.

Spray pan with cooking spray. Add peppers and eggplants and cook for 4-5 minutes. Repeat with parsnips and set all aside.

Add another 0.5 to 1 tbsp oil to pan. cook onion paste for 4-5 minutes, to brown. Add spices and toast  a minute or two. Stir in yogurt.

Bring mixture to a boil. Add stock, parsnips, eggplant and bell pepper to pan – season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 300.

In another saucepan, bring 1 and 1/4 cups salted water to a boil. Add rice and cook 5 -6 minutes and drain. Note: if you’re using brown rice, you may want to double the cooking time here. I ended up just cooking the casserole for longer, but I think I could have saved time by doing this here.

Drain rice. Add on top of layer of parsnips in Dutch oven. Sprinkle onions, cashews and raisins on top of biryani. Cover with little dots of butter.

Using a wooden spoon, make a hole in the middle of the rice mixture. Cover with two layers of foil, then lid. Bake for 40 minutes and check. My rice took another 35 or so, on account of it being brown rice.

Garnish with eggs and cilantro and serve.