The "Tacos" for dinner!

This weekend we had such a lovely time with our friends cooking and baking!! For dessert we made a luscious chocolate cake with whipped Ganache thanks to M. Stewart. And for dinner, we had a special treat: homemade chicken gumbo (with beer-bread) thanks to my friends sister who was in town this weekend from Indiana!



















The chef was bubbling roux, while tossing sauteed veggies on another burner, adding beer in one pot while adding cocoa in another. No recipes! Just one fabulous cook!



















Cheese please!



















Chopping all the meat & veggies...















Ready to start the cake!






















































If only every weekend was full of great cooking, yummy dessert, and fabulous friends! One would need nothing more!

Carrot Ginger Soup and Homemade Naan

Basic Oven-Grilled Leavened Breads
Tandoori Naan (recipe #4 & 5)












Ingredients:

2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup warm water (110 F)
1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt (Optional) or water
2 tbs veg oil
2 cups all purpose flour (or bread flour)
1/4 cup melted butter for basting (optional)

Directions:

1.) Dissolve the yeast & sugar in the warm water until frothy (10 minutes). Mix in the yogurt and oil. Mix the flour and salt in another bowl and then add it bit by bit into your yeast mixture. Mix/knead until smooth and no longer sticky (add more flour if too sticky, and more water if too dry)

2.) Once you have a nice smooth dough, transfer to a slightly oiled large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Place in a warm place to double in size (1-2 hours)

3.) Once it has risen to double its size, beat down and knead a few more times (adding flour when needed to keep it from sticking to your hands) Then pinch off 10-12 small balls. One at a time, flatten with palm, cover the surface with flour and roll out on a slightly floured surface to 7-8 inch circles. Then broil (on low) for 3-4 minutes per side. Serve warm!

Carrott Ginger Soup
Gajjar-Adrak Ka Soop














Perfect soup for below 30 weather. This recipe yields around 4-6 servings and is perfect with a side of fresh homemade Naan.















Ingredients:

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup chopped onion
8-10 quarter-size slices of peeled fresh ginger
1 pound carrots, unpeeled, coarsely chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
5 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 cup plain yogurt (whisked until smooth)
1-2 tbs fresh lemon juice














1.) Heat the oil over medium-high heat, cook the bay leaves, and cumin seeds. Stir frequently. Quickly add the onion and cook until golden. Add the ginger and cook another minute.

2.) Add the carrots and cilantro, stirring until the carrots are golden (around 10 minutes) Add the water and bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the carrots are soft, about 10-15 minutes.

3.) Now comes the fun part! Let the soup cool, remove the bay leaves and puree in a blender until smooth. Return to the pan and simmer until slightly reduced. Mix in the yogurt and boil for a bit longer. Mix in the lemon juice, garnish with black pepper and serve!

Let's get basic!

Classic Spicy Curry Sauce (recipe #3)
Har-roz ki Kari














No canned coconut milk, no fish sauce, and no unnecessary calories. This is a basic and authentic base curry sauce. Remember that *spicy* refers not to "spicy hot" but spiced with bold flavors.

According to our new recipe book, a curry sauce requires proper bhunna or browning/roasting of the wet masala (ground tomatoes, ginger, garlic, onions, etc) So let's get started!

Ingredients:

2 large cloves of garlic
4-6 slices of peeled fresh ginger
1-3 fresh green chile peppers, stemmed
1 large onion
1 large tomato
3 tbs peanut oil
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp ground paprika
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
About 5 cups water
1/4 tsp garam masala
3 tbs chopped cilantro














1.) Coarsely chop the garlic, ginger, chile, onion, (and tomato added later)



















2.) Add to a blender or food processor and process to make a smooth paste.















3.) Heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok and over medium-high heat cook the onion paste mixture until well browned, 15-20 minutes. Cook, stirring occasionally until all the juices evaporate and drops of oil appear on the top and sides.














4.) Add the coriander, cumin, fenugreek, paprika, turmeric, and salt, and cook while stirring 2-3 minutes















5.) Then mix in the yogurt a little at a time. Add the water (more or less depending on preference) bring to a boil then reduce to medium-low, cover and let simmer until the sauce is reduced to about 4 cups, (30-40 minutes). I found it best to cook uncovered on medium-high for the last 20 minutes.














We served it over our morning eggs with a pinch of fresh cilantro and a dash of garam masala...Mmmm














Enjoy!

Indian Supper #2

Rajasthani Rassadar Aalu
Rajasthani Potato Curry














Ingredients:

1 pound small potatoes
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
3 tbs veggie oil
1 cinnamon stick (or pinch of cinnamon powder)
2 tsp coriander seeds (coarsely ground)
1 tsp cumin seeds (coarsely ground)
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (coarsely ground)
1 tbs peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt, whisked until smooth
1-2 cups water
1/4-1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro (including stems)

Directions:














1.) Boil potatoes in lightly salted water until tender. Drain and let cool, peel them (I left the skin), place in a big bowl and toss well in the tumeric powder.

2.) Heat 1 tbs of oil in a wok or large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the potatoes until golden (3-5 minutes). Transfer to a bowl.















3.) Add remaining oil to the same pan and cook the cinnamon, stirring a few seconds. It will become a fragrant bubbly paste. (These are my new favorite fenugreek seeds above)















4.) Be sure to have your ground seeds ready.















5.) Add the coriander, cumin, and fenugreek ground seeds, stir, then add the ginger & cayenne and stir for 1 minute.















6.) Return the potatoes to the pan, add the salt and cook everything together for about 2 minutes.















7.) Add the yogurt, a little at a time to prevent curdling. Add water and bring to a boil over high heat. (This will not take long) Then reduce, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Mix in the cilantro and transfer to serving dish to dig in!















Hope you enjoy! We did!

20 days of Indian

So we received this amazing cook book this year for Christmas. You will not find anyone who loves Indian food more than Jonathan. So I will be making 20 different Indian meals for him and sharing the recipes!




Indian Meal #1: Bhunnae Gosht ki Kari or
Pan-Roasted Lamb Curry














Ingredients

3 Tbs vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tbs peeled and minced, fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 tbs ground coriander
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt, or to taste
2 lbs boneless leg of lamb, fat trimmed and cut into 1-2" pieces
1.5 cups nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
3-4 cups water
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1.) Sauté the onions in oil over medium heat for 10-12 minutes in a wok or saucepan

2.) Add ginger & garlic, stir about a minute, then add the tomatoes, cook 5 minutes until juiced evaporate

3.) Add coriander, garam masala, cumin, tumeric, and cayenne pepper and stir for 30 seconds

4.) Mix in lamb and salt, cook on high for 5 minutes, then medium for 15-20 until well-browned and fragrant

5.) Add yogurt slowly (stirring constantly to prevent curdling) cook 5 minutes

6.) Add water and cover, cook until lamb is fork tender and is thick 50-60 minutes, add the fenugreek leaves during last 5 minutes of cooking

7.) Serve with a sprinkle of cilantro and/or garam masala on top















To save some time, I added a bit a roux and cut the water in half, it was thick and bubbly in no time. And the lamb was still very tender.

Happy eating!

Cheers!

We entered the new year with cheer, good treats & friends. I recently learned how to knit! And therefore was a little preoccupied with my knitting needles and my beautiful ocher yellow yarn, but in the end we had a lovely time together!
































































Lazaroni















Jonathan's new computer! (From "Jesus" aka me, this year)

Happy New Year!