My giant cookbook of modern casseroles is finished and on the shelves, but I haven't quit making casseroles. It's just too easy to throw a few simple ingredients into a pan and bake them — as I did with this Indian-style dish of greens, paneer, and spices.
Last week I was cooking for quite a crowd, and I had a plan for one evening meal of Indian-inspired dishes. I made those seriously tender and moist spiced lamb meatballs, and a big tangy cucumber salad. I was also craving spicy greens and the squeaky Indian cheese, paneer, but I wanted something quick that could also be done in the oven. Enter baked spinach and cheese, Indian-style.
I spluttered some mustard seeds in hot oil, along with garlic, ginger, and onion (the holy trinity of Indian cooking!) and tossed this with garam masala and some seared cubes of firm farmer's cheese. (I was in Colorado, so queso fresco stood in for paneer. They're really not all that different!) I tossed in a hefty helping of greens from the freezer: Some tender spinach, but also quite a lot of turnip greens, since they have that pleasantly bitter taste and will stand up better to long cooking. I stirred in yogurt and some eggs, and baked it all under a crunchy almond topping.
It may sound complex, but it didn't take long at all to throw together. Like most casseroles it wasn't terribly photogenic, but I still think it's prettier than most, with all those tumbled greens mixed in with big, squeaky cubes of cheese.
It was a dish I will certainly go back to — it had all that warmth of Indian-style greens, and the gentle tang of yogurt. It was warm, cheesy, and spiced — the perfect thing for a brisk spring night.
The recipe is over at my book blog; check it out here:
• Get the recipe: Baked Spinach & Paneer with Ginger & Spices at Not Your Mother's Casseroles blog
More about my book at its Amazon page:
• Not Your Mother's Casseroles at Amazon
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(Images: Faith Durand)
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That looks amazing.
This recipe is defintiely being bookmarked!
This looks delicious!
...you know, I was just sitting here thinking "I really need a paneer recipe", since I have a block of paneer sitting in my fridge, and no recipe to use it up.
Not sure where I can find mustard seeds or turnip greens (or their equivalent); guess I will have to try to find an Asian grocery.
Thanks Faith!
@mschatelaine, I know we're shopping in different parts of the world, so it may be different in your grocery store -- but I did want to note that I can find black mustard seeds in my regular grocery spice aisle, and I bought the chopped turnip greens in the frozen section. The spices are definitely much cheaper at Asian or Indian groceries, though!
I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks Faith!
Nothing that exotic in either the French or Swiss grocery stores I am afraid though (at least not the ones here)... It is even hard finding turmeric if you can imagine -- much less something as exotic as black mustard seeds! (Here you have to look for curcumin, but only one of the Swiss chains carries it -- and were sold out when I tried to find it -- and for some reason, the French stores didn't have it)
It is but a small price to pay to live with ready access to French butter, amazing cheeses from 3 countries (Italy is on the doorstep), and Poulet de Bresse! ;-)
Oh my gosh that looks so good! Thw whole meal sounds delicious! Want to eat right now!
Recipe looks good, but I was wondering what kind of yogurt you use for this. I love how greek style gets firm when baked, but I'm not sure if this is the desired result for the casserole. But is regular plain yogurt too watery?