Masala fish en papillote

I have recently discovered a surplus of Shaan masala in my pantry and have been trying to slowly use up my spice stockpile. Everytime we visited Pakistan I would buy the perfunctory stock of spices, and then forget about them. 

I had been reading about cooking en papillote, which translates into 'in paper'. What you need is parchment paper. I haven't tried poultry en papillote yet, but I see no reason why it shouldn't work. 

You do need either aluminum foil or parchment paper . All assembly can be done on the paper.

Here's a video explaining the technique for folding the parchment paper. 

http://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/video/cooking-fish-en-papillote-10000001818536/

What I did was dry rub chicken tikka masala on the defrosted fish and sprinkled with lemon juice. That's it. I used tilapia, but any fish would do. I have baked baby potatoes and zucchini on the side of the fish and it turns out great. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 for 20 minutes. 

Here's a video explaining the technique for folding the parchment paper. 

http://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/video/cooking-fish-en-papillote-10000001818536/

Cheese puffs

This week's recipe called for a delicate pâté a choux, filled with a mixture of cream, cream cheese and chèvre.

Some people can literally make the most gorgeous pate a choux. Check out this link. I came across it a few months ago, and ever since then, I've wanted to bake these. One more off the cooking bucket list.

http://www.passionateaboutbaking.com/2012/08/baking-filled-pate-a-choux-swans-daring-bakers-ugly-ducklings-and-swans-with-a-versatile-pastry.html

The puffs are a three step process. Cooking the flour with milk and butter, then mixing in the eggs, and then baking it.

This week, I forgot to turn the temperature down from 425 to 350. So for half the baking time, the temperature was higher than it should have been. I realized my mistake when I noticed how brown the puffs were 10 minutes into baking. So I cut back the temp and reduced the rest of the baking time. God knows what this did to the pâté at the structural level, but it may have contributed to why storing the filled puffs in a box made them slightly soggy.

Anyway, another week, and another wonderful recipe, despite continued technical glitches.

Chocolate Mousse

I spent last weekend at my sister's in the Twin Cities. Since I've now downloaded Dorie's book on my Kindle, I pulled up this week's recipe and made it at her place. I doubled the recipe, since there were twice the number of chocaholics as usual. It was as usual, excellent and simple. Half the mousse was gone before I could get a decent picture. Mousse this good doesn't sit pretty for long!

Worthy cause.....

For those looking for a worthy cause, here is an original and groundbreaking way to fight illiteracy and terrorism in the third world. My best friend moved back to Karachi (no small feat, I assure you) and is starting a grassroots movement to end the energy crisis. Please take a peek at her link, especially at the donations page. Every cent counts. 5 or ten dollars is not a lot to contribute... it's like sowing the seeds of the future........

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/230826?c=home

Back to FFWD! Mushroom quiche....

I skipped last week's recipe with not a little remorse. It was Eid ul Adha and I felt compelled to spread a gastronomic cornucopia before the small Muslim community that had gathered at our place. After a week of leftovers and Pakistani food, I was only too ready to turn to Dorie's cookbook this week.

Anyway, I have a cold and this is certainly not me at my A game, but there were a few technical errors on my part. Firstly, I forgot that I do not have a tart pan. What I thought was a tart pan turned out to be a springform cheesecake pan. That was glitch number 1. Error no 2:  I forgot the green onions, even though it was smack in the middle on my shopping list. 

The dough was easy to make. I used the dough attachment for my food processor, which didn't work as well I was hoping. So I just used my hands to shape the dough. After 3 plus hours in the fridge, the dough was quite hard. I banged my rolling pin to flatten it. Loved Dorie's tip about rolling it between wax paper.

I used my Pyrex pie pan for the tart, no problem. I will be on the lookout for a good tart pan (suggestions welcome).

Had no problems with the filling. Mine didn't leak any mushroom juice, which is nice.

Anyway, fast forward by 4 hrs, and here is the baked crust, waiting for the filling to be spooned on top. And (gulp!) it broke my heart to see the crack down the side. (And that is the third shortcoming on my part). I had no choice but to continue to bake in the pyrex dish, lest there be a leak. I tried my best to dam it up with mushrooms, so the custard would not leak into it. That was not a problem. The final crust was golden and crisp. And there was no leakage of liquid through the mushroom dam.

  

Anyway, as usual, Dorie's recipes are so very forgiving, and always delicious. I'd like to try variations with beef, chicken. Maybe I'll do a tart with some beef, carrots and peas. Kind of a cross between quiche and shepherd's pie. We'll see..... until  next week.........

Tamarind chutney

When tamarind is on the table, you know it's time for your taste buds to tango. There is a tartness which is best showcased with the addition of sugar.

Though the fruit itself can be found on almost universally, in Minnesota, I've found the shelf product vary from dehydrated pods, packaged and processed chutney, to my personal favorite: packets of slightly dehydrated pulp which look like little brown slabs. 

I haven't seen any tamarind in my local grocery store, but I usually have a stash of the dehydrated pulp in my pantry. I keep my tamarind blocks in the fridge and chip away at them as needed.

Today, I am making some tamarind chutney as a sauce for samosas, kebabs, and sandwiches.

Ingredients

Tamarind pulp 1/2 cup

Water 1 cup

Brown sugar 2 tbsp

1 tbsp roasted cumin

1 tbsp roasted and crushed coriander seeds

1 stick cinnamon

Red chili powder to taste

Salt 1 tsp

Optional: 2 star anise flowers

The first step is to place the tamarind, cover it with water and let it boil until the pulp breaks up. Take off from the heat. I strain the tamarind to remove the seeds, since with pulp, sometimes you get tiny chunks of seeds. If you're using whole tamarind, then you can remove the seeds  and fiber manually and blend the rest for a lovely thick texture.

To roast the cumin and coriander, just place the whole spice in a frying pan and roast until it releases its aroma and changes color. Keep a close eye because it can burn pretty quickly. I crush the spice after roasting. 

Return the tamarind and water to the pot and reheat. To the boiling mixture, and the spices and let it thicken. This chutney keeps and freezes well. Serve it as a dipping sauce or mix it with some yogurt and garbanzo beans for a snack.

Spur-of-the-moment Vegetable Soup

I'm a week behind for my French Fridays with Dorie. Today I made her stone soup. I opted to puree the soup (to make it more kid friendly). I separated a third of the batch into a smaller pot and then added alphabet pasta to make it more appealing to the kids.

 Honestly though, this was so tasty, they probably would've eaten it sans pasta.

Now I'm off to tuck the kids in for the evening. For bedtime, I think I'll share what I remember of the beggar's stone soup. 

Eggplant discs with tapenade

One of our favorite middle eastern restaurants in Minneapolis is the casual Marina Bar and Grill. In a corner of their buffet is usually a platter with salted, fried eggplant discs, topped with bell peppers and tomatoes. This is my version of eggplant discs, topped with a lemony tapenade. When I'm out of capers, I just add more lemon. Green olives are preferable, but black will do too.

1 eggplant
1 clove garlic
handful cherry tomatoes
Capers 1 tsp
olives 1/4 cup
lemon juice 1 tssp
olive oil 1 tsp
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper


Bake the eggplant at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

Blend the rest of the ingredients together. When the eggplant is cool, peel the skin, twist off the stem and slice it into round discs. Top with the tapenade and some extra sea salt, if needed.

Cooking up some memories

Tahiri is one of those dishes that make me very nostalgic.  I think of it as my childhood comfort food. It reminds me of my grandmother, and childhood post-school lunches.

It's a very basic and versatile dish. This is the classic version, and the potatoes can be substituted with chunks of baked pumpkin or any other chunky vegetable. If you want some protein, you can add soy chunks or cubed, cooked chicken. The turmeric and chili give it a pretty yellow color that make it a nice fall dish.




Ingredients:

• A cup of rice (preferably Basmati)...... be prepared to wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes 
• 2 large potatoes, peeled, cut into large pieces
• 2-3 tomatoes, sliced
• A small onion OR 1/4 cup of the pre-fried onions
• 2 jalapeno peppers (optional)
• chili pepper (1/2 to 1 tsp; if you want a milder version, substitute with 1/2 tsp of paprika)
• tsp 1/2 turmeric
• 2 cloves
• 6 whole peppercorns
• 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste 
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• salt 1 tsp
• water
• oil 4 tbsp
• 1 cup frozen peas

Before you start, wash the rice until the water is clear, and let it soak for at least 15 minutes.

Saute the onions in the oil until they are a golden brown (7-8 minutes on high heat). If you have pre-fried onions, then skip this step and fry the other spices first and add the onions with the tomatoes.

Once the onions are golden, add a little water, and the ginger garlic. Let it saute for a few minutes on high heat, then  add the rest of the spices. Add some water if the spice is sticking to the pan.
Add the tomatoes. Let this mixture bubble and fry until the tomatoes have lost their shape. This step can take around 10 minutes. I keep some water on standby just in case the spices start sticking or burning.

After 10 minutes, add the potatoes and a little water. I add half the salt at this point. Let it cook for another 12 minutes. You basically want to cook the potatoes until they're half done. You may need to keep adding a little water to prevent sticking. If you're adding additional protein, this would be the step to do it.

At this point, the rice has been soaking for 15- 20 minutes. I give it a few more rinses, drain the water then add the to the pot. Add the rest of the salt.

Let it saute for 2 minutes and stir it carefully to mix the masala. Add the frozen peas.
Then add water.

Adding water is the tricky part. I add enough so that it's just above the rice. If you add to much water, you'll be left with mushy rice. I also turn the heat down to medium low at this point. Cover the pan.

In 10 to 15 minutes the water will be absorbed and the rice would have swollen.  If the rice is not done and there is no water at the bottom of the pan, add just a little, stir and cover the pan again. Repeat in 5 minutes. Smell the cinnamon? Mmmmm.

 Hopefully my kids will enjoy this as much as I used to!

Crispy, crackly apple almond tart

This is my first attempt at blogging, and my first recipe from Dorie Greenspan's book, Around my French Table.  The recipe is for an apple tart on a phyllo dough base. Sandwiched between the apples and the phyllo dough is a delicious almond cream paste. The recipe is versatile, and you can substitute the apples for pears, figs or plums.

I chilled the almond cream overnight and assembled the rest of the pastry in the morning. I am an enthusiastic, but ultimately an amateur baker.

I was a little concerned about how much apple there was. Next time, I might cut back just a little bit on the apples. Or maybe the slices were too thick.

Regardless, it's a delicious recipe, and the phyllo base holds up great. The finished pastry was brushed with an apricot glaze.

Chicken tikka wraps

I'll keep my first post simple. Simple, that is, if you have cooked chicken tikka ready to throw into the sandwich. Any cooked chicken will do.

If you're lucky enough to have access to chicken tikka, then great! Otherwise, you'll have to do what I did: buy some chicken tikka marinade from your local grocery store, marinate chicken breasts in generous amounts of marinade, and bake until cooked.

Ingredient list:

Ripe avocados
Naan or any flatbread
Chicken tikka breasts (cooked and shredded)
Apricot preserves

Heat the naan until it is soft. Spread the apricot preserves on the naan. Add shredded chicken in a line, and top it with sliced, ripe avocados. Roll and serve.