Tamarind Cream Pie

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Lemon cream pie is my absolute favorite pie- so when I saw this recipe for Tamarind Cream pie from Melissa Clark- I knew I had to make it. It’s topped with a citrus whipped cream rather than a meringue This pie is tart and complex and fruity in all the correct ways with a buttery graham cracker crust. I’ve made this twice following the recipe almost precisely – this recipe works !

Preheat oven to 350F

Crust:In the food processor- add 170 g of graham crackers and pulse them into crumbs (not powder). Add 6 tbsp of melted butter and mix by hand till the crumbs are moistened. Pack into a 9 inch pie plate on bottom and 1-2 inches up the sides. Bake for 12 minutes till golden brown (this burns quickly ! Start watching from 10 minutes). Cool

Filling: Mix 1/4 cup of orange juice with 1-2 tbsp of lemon juice and 1/2 cup of tamarind paste (I used the Swad brand) with 1/2 tsp of kosher salt. If you are using fresh pulp- make sure you taste it and you may have to vary the proportions to get it as tart as you wish.

In your stand mixer- whisk 4 egg yolk for 5 minutes, add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz) and slowly whisk in the tamarind orange juice mixture till just combined. Scrape down the sides to make sure everything is well incorporated.

Add to cooled pie shell and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes till the filling is just set (jiggles slightly when moved without any browning). Refrigerate at least 2 hours (preferably overnight)

Topping: Whisk 1/2 cup whipping cream with 4 tbsp sugar till soft peaks form. Add the zest of 1 orange

Serve pie slice topped with whipping cream

 

 

 

Pita at home

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I try out a lot of recipes, this one was incredible fun. I’ve only had fresh pita once, at Shaya in New Orleans. This pita turned out as good as that one in my very first attempt. If you are new to breads, this would be a good place to start.  This one is modified from a David Tanis recipe from the NYT.

A pizza stone or a hot cookie sheet is essential

Make sponge: 1 cup lukewarm water, 1/4 cup chapati (or whole wheat) flour, 1/4 cup all purpose flour, 2 tsp instant yeast and 1 tsp sugar. Mix well and keep in a warm place while you measure the other stuff.

In the bowl of your standmixer, add 2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tsp kosher salt. Add sponge- knead on low (or by hand) for 4-5 minutes. The dough should be soft. I had to add 2-4 tbsp of extra water.

Refrigerate overnight or not. The flavor is much better when you refrigerate it but it works perfectly well without this step.

Proof covered in a warm place in an oiled bowl till doubled in size (took me 90 minutes using the proofing setting at 85F in my oven).

Handle dough gently and using a bench scraper, divide into 8 equal parts. Roll gently into round balls and allow them to rest for 10 more minutes.

Preheat your oven to 475 and warm your pizza stone.

Roll each dough ball into 8 inch discs. I put them on parchment (3 at a time) and used a pizza peel to slide them onto the pizza stone. Cook for 2-3 minutes, they will puff up beautifully, use tongs to flip, cook for an additional minute and you are done!

Serve with anything – we ate them with palak paneer.

Alu Chana

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This is my version of Alu-Chole

Pressure cook for 15 min on high

1 cup of soaked chickpeas, 2 tea bags, 1 stick of cinnamon, 2 large black elaichis, 8-10 whole peppercorns, 2 cloves, half an onion whole, 1 star anise pod with 2 cups of water and 1 tsp salt

Discard whole spices and onion

In a pan- add 1 tbsp oil, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1 red chilli, add 2 chopped russet potatoes (inch sized cubes). When browned a little, add 1 tbsp chopped ginger, 1 tbsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp ajwain seeds, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 2 tsp pindi chana masala and 1 14 oz can of whole tomatoes.

Cook for 5 minutes, add the chickpeas, cook for an additional 15 minutes

Add 1 tsp each amchur powder, garam masala and crushed kasoori methi,

Eleven Madison Park Granola

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I’ve never eaten at Eleven Madison Park even though they offer a vegetarian tasting menu. I’m waiting for my 10 year old to become a little more adventurous. But their granola is sublime. I’ve previously substituted walnuts and pecans for the pistachios and raisins for the sour cherries. I would keep the liquid proportions the same because they are perfect. I found this recipe in the NYT.

Heat oven to 300

Mix 2 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1 cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes, 1 cup shelled pistachios, 1 tbsp kosher salt (decrease if using fine salt) , 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

In a small utensil, heat 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup maple syrup and 1/2 cup  light brown sugar till the sugar dissolves

Pour over dry ingredients, mix well and bake for 30-35 minutes (tossing the ingredients every 10 minutes) till golden brown

Add 3/4 cup dried sour cherries.

Enjoy however you love granola, with yogurt, milk or in our house- just snacking on it.

Hot and Sour Vegan Ramen

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Hot and Sour Ramen (Tofu and Shiitake mushroom ramen from ATK vegetarian cookbook)
This is a great ramen recipe. The original calls for ramen packets (discarding the flavoring sachets). I’ve made this with the cheap ramen and the expensive dried Japanese ramen and it is as good with both. I might try baking the tofu the next time
 
1 14 oz pack of firm tofu – cubed into inch squares and dried on paper towels
8 oz shiitake mushroom caps – sliced
Seasoning 1: 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tbsp garlic both finely chopped and 2 tsp sriracha
Base : 3.5 cups vegetable stock
Seasoning 2: 2 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp sugar
Ramen noodles from 4 packets (3 oz each)
6 oz spinach
 
Heat 1- 2 tbsp oil in a non stick skillet – brown the tofu on all sides (10 min). Remove tofu, add the mushrooms and brown (5 minutes). Add seasoning 1 and 30 seconds later, add the broth. Add the ramen- bring to a simmer and toss noodles around for 2-3 min till cooked. Add spinach and toss till just wilted. Add seasoning 2. Serve immediately! The ramen should be slippery and slightly brothy.

Tikka Masala Kit

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So this Tikka Masala Kit works ! I found it at Whole Foods. I used paneer – it has whole spice (cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, red chilli) which is toasted in hot oil (30 sec). The protein marinaded for 10 min is then fried in the same oil (5 min). The curry is then added with 1/4 cup of water and simmered for 5 min. I added a splash of cream and dinner was ready. I routinely make this gravy from scratch and honestly this was almost as good.

Green Persian Pilaf

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Persian Pilaf is a delicious  Middle Eastern combination of vermicelli and rice, sometimes with add-ons like garlic or fried onions. The textural contrasts between the rice and the browned nutty vermicelli make this dish sing. I combined the pilaf with raw greens and herbs and raw garlic inspired by a Sarah Copeland recipe for the NYT that I have written about before. The trick is to brown the vermicelli (but not burn it) and make sure the rice and vermicelli is hot before adding the garlic. The steam gently cooks the garlic and the greens for a delicious fresh flavor.

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice and 1 cup wheat vermicelli

5 oz spinach shredded in the food processor (pulse it, stop before it becomes a paste)

1 cup parsley and cilantro (I used half and half) also shredded in the food processor (pulsed 5-6 times)

3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped and 1-2 jalapenos finely chopped

2-3 tbsp brown butter or ghee

Methods:

Add 1 tbsp of butter to your rice cooker insert on the stove or on the saute setting if you have it. Brown the vermicelli (less than 2-3 min, this burns very fast). Add rice and 3 cups of water. Press cook on your rice cooker or cook rice on stovetop.

Once rice is done, mix the greens, the ghee and as much garlic and jalapenos as you wish. Salt generously (1 tbsp or so)

Serve with a fried egg or a soft boiled egg.

 

Tunisian Chickpea Stew

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This is my version of Tunisian chickpea stew but what do I know- I’ve never been to Tunisia nor do I have any Tunisian friends. But the flavors are from the region and it’s quick and delicious.

1 cup chickpeas (soaked overnight and pressure cooked for 15 minutes)

1 14 oz can tomatoes (whole tomatoes puréed)

Aromatics- half an onion and half a red pepper chopped into inch cubes, 1/2 preserved lemon, 8 or so olives, parsley, 2 garlic cloves

Spices: 1 tbsp Harissa paste (I have the Trader Joe’s version) , 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1 tsp cumin powder

Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil, add 1 tsp of cumin seeds, let them sputter, add onions and peppers. Cook on high heat for 4-5 minutes till they brown slightly. Add 1 tbsp of harissa paste and the cumin powder, cook for a minute. Add chickpeas and salt.

While the onions are cooking, blitz the tomatoes, olives, preserved lemons and garlic in a blender. Add to chickpeas in pan.

Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add parsley- serve with any grain or couscous or pasta.

Bean Broth

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Bean Broth: My recipe for the best bean broth. Use it for minestrone, a fantastic gravy base and everywhere you would use stock. It’s great plain with just rice or any other grain as the base for a brothy grain bowl. This has the mouthfeel of a meat stock, it’s the garlic and the bean liquid that make it thick. For the gravy- just add a roux.

1 cup soaked red kidney beans

2.5 cups water with 1 tsp better than bouillon vegetable base (or 2.5 cups vegetable stock) and 1 tsp salt (less if your stock has salt)

1 tbsp olive oil

4-5 cloves of garlic crushed

Heat oil, add garlic, after 1 minute, add beans and stock. Pressure cook on high for 15 min (I use my cuisinart). If you don’t have a pressure cooker, it will take 45 minutes on the stove top.