Indian Dinner

My sister Paula had a little time between her wedding/honeymoon and starting her new job (with a Ph.D. - my little sis is amazing!) and was doing some cooking that intrigued me.  I'm excited to try all this out - especially homemade naan . . . that sounds incredible!  I asked her to share her recipes with us as a guest blogger:

I recently was looking for books to read on vacation and just as I turn to this blog for cooking ideas, I turned to Rebecca’s “Shelfari” page for book suggestions.  As a result, I just finished reading “Secret Daughter” by  Shilpi Somaya Gowda.  Part of the book takes place in India and one of the characters mentions that any 12 year-old  Indian girl can make Saag Paneer without a recipe.  I figured if a 12 year old can do it without a recipe I certainly could do so with a recipe.  (Note: this logic has gotten me in trouble before, like the time I came home from school and announced that I was going to make a buche de noel/Yule log because if Julia Child can do it, I can do it, but that’s a whole other blog post).  I then thought of how my friend Ashlee made Naan the first time I met her (good first impression) and I recollected a recipe for “Tandoorish” chicken in a cookbook I received from Rebecca several Christmases ago. Thus, I set out on an adventure creating my first Indian meal. 

The process was a bit time consuming but pretty easy and the fruit of my labor was super tasty.  I was most proud of the fact that I made my own cheese! You can buy paneer at an Asian grocery store but making it will make you feel like a rock star so I recommend giving it a try.  

Paneer (Indian Cheese)

From foodnetwork.com

Cheesecloth

8 cups whole milk

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more as needed

Line a large colander with a large double layer of cheesecloth, and set it in your sink. In a large wide pot, bring the milk to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning the bottom.  This will take a little while so be patient.

Add the lemon juice and turn the heat down to low. Stirring gently, you should almost immediately see the curds (white milk solids) and whey (the greenish liquid) separate. (if milk doesn’t separate juice some more lemons an add another tablespoon or two.  Boost the heat gain and the milk should separate.)

Stir in a motion that gathers the curds together rather than breaks them up.

Remove the pot from the heat and carefully pour the contents into the cheesecloth-lined colander.  Gently rinse with cool water to get rid of the lemon flavor.  

Grab the ends of the cheesecloth and twist the ball of cheese to squeeze out the excess whey.  Tie the cheesecloth to your kitchen faucet and allow the cheese to drain for about 5 minutes.  

Twisting the ball to compact the cheese into a block, place it on a plate with the twisted part of the cheesecloth on the side and set another plate on top. Weigh the second plate down with cans of beans or a heavy pot.  Move to the refrigerator and let it sit about 20 minutes.

Saag Paneer (serves 4)

From foodnetwork.com

1 tsp turmeric

½ tsp cayenne

Kosher salt

3 tbsp plus 1½ tbsp vegetable oil

12 oz paneer, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 (16 oz) package frozen chopped spinach

1 (1-inch) thumb ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 tbsp)

4 cloves garlic minced

1 lg green Serrano chile, finely chopped (seeds removed if you don’t like it spicy)

½ tsp garam masala

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

½ cup plain yogurt, stirred until smooth

In a large bowl, whisk together the turmeric, cayenne, 1tsp salt, and 3 tbsp oil. Gently drop in the cubes of paneer and gently toss, taking care not to break the cubes. Let the cubes marinate while you get the rest of your ingredients together and prepped.

Thaw the spinach in the microwave, 5 minutes on high, then puree in a food processor until smooth, alternatively you can chop it up very finely with your knife (I skipped the food processor step, it’s a matter of texture). 

Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add paneer as the pan warms.  In a couple of minutes give the pan a toss; each piece of paneer should be browned on one side. Fry another minute or so, and then remove the paneer from the pan onto a plate.

Add the remaining 1 ½ tbsp oil to the pan. Add onions, ginger, garlic, and chile. Saute the mixture until it is evenly toffee colored, which should take about 15 minutes (this is the foundation of the dish, don’t rush this step). If you feel like the mixture is drying out and burning, add a couple tbsps of water.

Add the garam masala, coriander, and cumin. If you haven’t already, sprinkle a little water to keep the spices from burning.  Cook, stirring often for 3-5 minutes.

Add the spinach and stir well, incorporating the spiced onion mixture into the spinach. Add a little salt and ½ cup of water, stir, and cook about 5 minutes with the lid off.

Turn off the heat and add yogurt a little at a time to keep it from curdling. Once the yogurt is well mixed into the spinach, add the paneer. Turn the heat back on, cover, and cook until everything is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Serve with naan!

Naan (6 pieces) *I will double this next time I make it

Foodnetwork.com

1 tsp active dry yeast

2 tsps sugar

2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling

1 tsp fine sea salt

1/8  tsp baking powder

3 tbsps plain yogurt

2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

Melted butter for finished naan

Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Note: you can make GF naan by substituting 2 ¼ c of gf all purpose flour mix for the regular flour plus 1 ¼ tsps of xanthum gum. When it is time to roll it out try pressing the dough with fingertips rather than rolling

In a large glass, dissolve the dry yeast and 1 tsp sugar with ¾ cup warm water (about 100 degrees F). Let it sit on your counter until its frothy, about 10 minutes (I accidently put all my sugar in at this step but it turned out fine).

Meanwhile, mix the flour, salt, remaining 1tsp of sugar and baking powder into a large deep bowl.

Once the yeast is frothy, add the yogurt and the olive oil into the glass, and stir to combine.  Pour the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and gently mix the ingredients together with a fork. When the dough is about to come together, use your hands to mix until it transforms into a soft, slightly sticky and pliable dough.  As soon as it comes together, stop kneading. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let it sit in a warm draft-free place for 2-4 hours.

  

When you are ready to roll, make sure you have two bowls, one with extra flour and one with water. The dough should be extremely soft and sticky.  Separate the dough into 6 equal portions and lightly roll each one in the bowl of extra flour to keep them from sticking to each other.

Shape the naan, using a rolling pin roll each piece of dough into a tear drop shape, narrower at the top than at the bottom.  It should be 8-9 inches long, 4 inches wide at its widest pint and ¼ inch thick.  

Once you’ve formed the general shape you can also pick it up by one and wiggle it to stretch it out a little.  Repeat with rest of the dough.  Warm a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it’s nearly smoking.  Make sure you have a lid large enough to fit the skillet and have a bowl of melted butter ready.

Dampen your hands in the bowl of water and pick up one of your naans. Flip-flopping it from one hand to the other to lightly dampen it.  Gently lay it in the skillet. The dough should start to bubble. After about 1 minute, flip the naan. It should be blistered and somewhat blackened.  Cover the skillet with the lid and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute more.

Remove the naan from the skillet, brush with a bit of butter and sprinkle with a little coars sea salt. Place the naan in a tea towel-lined dish. Repeat with the rest of the naan and serve.

Tandoor(ish) Chicken (serves 4)

“The food you want to eat” by Ted Allen

The marinade smelled so delicious I wanted to eat it straight out of the blender…super easy and delicious chicken dish I will definitely make again. 

Marinade

½ medium onion, quartered

3 medium garlic cloves

2 inch piece of fresh ginger peeled

Juice of ½ lemon (about 1 tbsp)

½ cup plain yogurt

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp ground turmeric

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

pinch of cayenne pepper

pinch of ground cardamom

Chicken

1½ to 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise 1½ to 2 inches thick

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 lemon or line cut into wedges for serving

Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a blender and puree (I used my new nutribullet, it worked great!). Pour out into a glass baking dish. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Add the flour and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat charcoal or gas grill. Just before you’re ready to cook the chicken add the oil to the chicken mixture and stir. Lightly oil the grate with folded paper towels drizzled with oil.  Heat up grate for a few minutes until it has reached medium high heat (when you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grate for about 3 seconds) and place the chicken on the grill. Cook until browned on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes total. Serve with lemon or lime wedges.

Of Imagination and Lasagna

My girls love pretend play and have great imaginations.  They are always "being" someone and it changes so frequently that I usually hear Middle asking, "Are we still playing ___?  Who are we being?  I forget."  I overheard a conversation between them today and thought I'd share some snippets:  

Middle:  My name is Friendy Friend.  My superpowers are running and dancing.

Big:  Well, my superpower is being a fairy mermaid.  Wait, a fairy mermaid princess.

Middle:  Mom, your superpower can be firing things and freezing things.

later . . . 

Big:  Ok.  You be a dog.  I'll be Rapunzel.  With the short hair.  And you're my dog and you live in the tower but you can talk.

Middle:  Woof woof!

I also read a book recently that I highly recommend:  Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks.  It's narrated by an imaginary friend and I thought it was creative, heartwarming, and an easy read - perfect for summer vacation!  I liked thinking about my imaginary friend as a child and Big's imaginary friends (they're all in a club together and Big is the leader) and what they'd write.  

Now, onto the food.  You know that I like lasagna and I've made lasagna stacks, cheater lasagna, and other variations.  Years ago, these lasagna rolls were in regular rotation but somewhere along the way, I forgot about them and misplaced the recipe.  A couple of weeks ago, I found the recipe by searching Cooking Light online and made it again.  They were yummy & easy - just like I had remembered!

You can play around with the filling (add meat, sub other veggies for the mushrooms) and can make a homemade sauce if you're so inclined.  

Lasagna Rolls (serves 4)
adapted from Cooking Light

8 uncooked lasagna noodles (traditional - not the no boil ones)
4 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 8oz package presliced mushrooms
6 oz baby spinach
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh basil, divided
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1-2 cups marinara sauce

Cook noodles according to package directions (omitting salt and fat if included).  Drain and rinse under cold water.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.  Add onions, mushrooms, and garlic.  Sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onion is tender.  Add the spinach and saute another minute or two until the spinach is wilted.  Remove from heat and stir in  1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, 2 tablespoons of the basil, salt, and red pepper flakes.

Place noodles on a flat surface.  Spread 1/4 cup filling over each noodle.  Roll up noodles, jelly roll fashion, starting with the short side.  Lightly spray a shallow baking dish with cooking spray and spread a little marinara in the bottom.  Place the rolls seam side down on the marinara sauce.  Pour a little sauce over each roll, sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese (about 1 T per roll).  Put the pan in the preheated oven and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the rolls are thoroughly heated.  Sprinkle with the remaining basil before serving.  (serving size = 2 rolls = appx. 400 cal).

Chicken Penne Florentine

Our family loves baked pasta and I have a few favorite recipes and sometimes I just wing it but last week I tried a new recipe from Cooking Light.  I thought that the cheddar cheese and cottage cheese sounded a little weird but ended up leaving it as is and loved the end result.  I upped the veggie ratio and think that there could be even more spinach (it wilts down a ton).  For the chicken, I used a rotisserie chicken and I think slices of spicy chicken sausage would also work well.  I bought Dreamfields pasta  because it's lower glycemic and lower carb but tastes and has the texture of "normal" pasta.  I liked how creamy the mixture was without a traditional flour & butter white sauce.  The cottage cheese gives the dish a protein boost and I think that even people who don't love spinach will like this casserole.

Chicken Penne Florentine (6 servings)
adapted from Cooking Light

1.5 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese
3 cups hot cooked penne (about 6oz uncooked)
2 cups shredded roasted chicken breast
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup low-fat milk
5 oz condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted (about half a can)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper.  Saute 4 minutes or until tender.  Add the spinach, oregano, and pepper and saute for a few minutes until the spinach wilts.

Put the cottage cheese in a blender and process until very smooth.  In a large bowl, combine the spinach mixture, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, milk and soup.  Stir in 3/4 cup cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.  Spoon the mixture into the baking dish.  Top with more freshly ground black pepper, and the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until hot, bubbly, and lightly browned.

Gruyere & Spinach Pinwheels

These were delicious and easy.  The original recipe used frozen chopped spinach which I've never really liked and the fresh spinach worked really well.  The hardest part was remembering to take them out of the oven since I decided to jump in the pool with the girls!


Gruyere and Spinach Pinwheels (serves 4-6)
adapted from Pepperidge Farms

1 sheet puff pastry
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
3/4 - 1 cup grated gruyere
1/4 cup parmesan
salt
pepper
egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine spinach, gruyere, parmesan, salt and pepper.  Roll out puff pastry approximately 9x13 rectangle.

Whisk egg with a tablespoon of water in a small bowl and brush the puff pastry with the egg wash.  Top with the spinach mixture.  Starting at the short end of the puff pastry, roll up the pastry like a jelly roll.  Try to keep it tight as you roll.

Make thin slices with a sharp knife and lay on a parchment lined baking sheet with the cut side down.  Brush the top of the pinwheels with the egg wash.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.